Provinces need a fairer share of the budget

your say January 26, 2014 00:00

Suthep and his henchmen with their flaunting of the rule of law, trampling on the Constitution, and abuse of human rights, with government departments under siege and their employees fleeing their desks, has shown the example to the provinces of the North

According to an article by Pasuk Phongpaichit, emeritus professor of the faculty of economics from Chulalongkorn University, and published in the Bangkok Post on January 14, the provinces receive only 24 per cent of the national budget, the lion’s share being allocated to Bangkok. In the name of social justice it seems very reasonable to suggest that the provinces and their cities should lead a revolt against the central government, and stop paying taxes to this Leviathan, since they do not benefit from this unjust arrangement. They should use their taxes to their own benefit, and build up affordable medical services, and increase the standard of their shockingly poor education. It is easy for protesters to stage marches and cause mayhem in Bangkok. However, due to the logistics involved it would be almost impossible for these same people to stage demonstrations in the provinces of the Northeast to counter any revolt from that direction towards a government based in Bangkok.